Fortnite Arena changes are a microscopic step in the right direction

At the start of Fortnite Season 8, Epic Games promised that some changes were coming to Arena Mode – Fortnite’s “competitive” or “ranked” mode that’s really those things in name only.

There are a ton of problems with Arena. For starters, pretty much any halfway decent player can grind their way to the top rank in the game. That’s like saying a Gold Valorant player can hit Immortal if they play long enough. It shouldn’t be how a ranked system works.

Now, after v18.10, Epic gave some more insight into what those changes would be. 

The competitive season starts today. We’ve got an update on the Arena changes and competitive surveys arriving sometime next month!

Learn about the changes and how to opt-in for surveys in our blog: https://t.co/AlmZ4SjKKj

— Fortnite Competitive (@FNCompetitive) September 28, 2021

The changes are as follows:

• Bus Fare increased in Contender League
• Elimination point buff at lower ranks
• Players can now de-rank out of divisions

Epic also turned “Arena Fill” off, but that was only in the game for a week anyway.

While these changes are good news for the mode, they do little to change the overwhelming problems with “competitive” Fortnite. Players who were hoping for sweeping changes were left disappointed.

Epic Games

Again, this is a tiny step in the right direction, but we still have a ways to go before we can truly call Arena a “competitive” mode.

I’ve already played a bit of it, and ranking up seems as easy as ever. I’m beginning to lose hope that Epic’s ranked system will ever rival that of a game like Apex Legends.